Our Top 10 Favourite Moments of 2019
2019 was our busiest year to date… by a long way! Honestly, it nearly bloody killed us! But goddamn was it good fun! We’ve been lucky enough to work/party with so many awesome couples this year and so we felt it only right to honour some of our favourite moments of the year in a blog post.
If you know me and Paul then you’ll know that although we take our work seriously, we tend not to take life too seriously (if we can help it), so if you’re expecting a blog full of lovey-dovey photos, click away now. On the other hand, if you want to see some genuine moments that’ll put a smile on your face, keep scrolling down - you definitely won’t want to miss number 10 on our list, trust me!
Wonderful Wedding Doggos
OK, so I know I’m probably technically breaking the rules already as this first entry isn’t a ‘moment’ as such, but screw it. It’s my blog post and I’ll do what I like.
I know that according to the Chinese zodiac 2018 was meant to be the year of the dog, but for us 2019 will forever be remembered as the year of canine-filled weddings! So many of you brought your four-legged friends along to join in on your big day and we absolutely loved it! I’m a big animal lover, so adding this extra dynamic to the wedding day was always going to score big brownie points.
2. First Dance Magic
Sometimes the stars just align and you end up with images like this. Warm, dreamy sunset goodness - check! Confetti - check! Bride and groom absolutely loving their wedding day and not afraid to show it - big check! I had a lot of fun shooting Ben and Harriet’s wedding day at Sandburn Hall in gloriously sunny Yorkshire, but coming home with this shot was just the icing on the (wedding) cake.
3. Bitty Bride
I hit it off with Hollie and her bride squad from the moment I walked in the door at bridal prep. All of her family and friends were so kind, down-to-earth and most importantly, up for a laugh.
After the wedding breakfast, Hollie and the girls wanted to head outside in to the lovely courtyard area at The Granary Estates to take a few photos together. The example above shows the kind of mood everyone was in and needless to say I don’t think I’ve ever laughed out loud that much at a wedding before!
4. What an entrance!
[PAUL] - This has got to be the best entrance to a first dance ever! As they were getting ready to take to the floor at Barrington Hall for their first dance, Rich found himself on one side of the room finalising details with the DJ, whilst Sarah was on the other side. I may or may not have had some influence on this epic entrance, but nevertheless, it was nothing short of majestic!
5. Floral fatality in florence
Well, maybe not quite a fatality, but a near-miss for sure! This summer, Paul was lucky enough to jet off to Villa Castelletti in Florence, Italy to capture Alex and Roberta’s stunning wedding day.
[PAUL] - This was not the first time in 2019 that I was nearly concussed by a misaimed bouquet! Roberta (the bride) was a bridesmaid at their good friends Henrik and Malin’s wedding earlier in the year (Malin is second in from the right in this sequence) and that’s where they first got the idea to throw their bouquets as high as they could in the air. At Malin’s wedding I was lucky enough to have been stood a bit further from the action, but no such luck this time. As you can see, I was inches away from certain death!
6. Pigs at south farm
So, after the number one spot in this post there’s definitely no points for guessing that there would be another shout out to animals in this blog!
If you’ve never heard of South Farm in Royston, then one of the big attractions has to be the fact that they allow the bride and groom to go in and have their photo taken with the pigs and chickens. For a photographer, this is such a fun photo opportunity and I had to give it a mention. Plus, on a personal level, Lauren and James are good friends of my wife and I, so much so that my wife was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid and my daughter was one of the flower girls, which made it all the more special. (Thanks again for making us all such a big part of your big day guys!)
7. SPARKLERS, so many sparklers!
In 2019, I have shot more sparkler send-offs than any other year. It’s been brilliant. Sure, trying to organise 80+ intoxicated people with fire and pyrotechnics has it’s challenges, but each and every time it works out the results are sooooo worth it. I can’t think of many better ways to officially commence the party antics! This shot of Steve and Naomi at Nether Winchendon House has to be one of my favourites.
8. london underground
[PAUL] - One of the most exciting things about shooting weddings is how unique each one is. When Jess initially told me that herself and fiance Ricky were going to travel together on the tube to their wedding at Hawksmoor Guidhall, I knew it would give us some unique opportunities for portraits that you just manage to get anywhere else.
9. Like father, like daughter
As you can probably tell from this list already, I’m a fan of anything slightly unorthodox. So when Courtney’s farther came up the stairs at the bridal suite at Bassmead Manor Barns to see his daughter for the first time and suggested to her that they both take a swig from his hip flasks, it was a moment that I just had to capture. Needless to say, this set the tone for the rest of the day which was filled with fun and laughter.
10. 🤣
Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. I mean, what can I say about this golden piece of footage. Just watch the video and enjoy this brilliant little outtake from Nick and Jo’s wedding at The Granary Estates. I can’t help but chuckle every time I watch it. It pretty much sums up this couple’s sense of humour and fun-loving attitude.